Fifity Shades of Grey: Paedophilia Hiding in Plain Sight

Mommy Porn?50 Shades of Grey is a book that has become so popular among women that some are referring to it as "Mommy Porn" for the masses. That description is actually a lot more disturbing than a lot of people realise. Yes, 50 Shades is pornography. Like most pornography, the storyline is weak, the characters one-dimensional, while the sex itself is graphic, detailed, but formulaic. The underlying theme to 50 Shades is something far more sinister and appalling though than your mere run-of-the-mill porn. It is paedophilia. It is child porn.

Now I know after saying that, many female fans of 50 Shades, many of them mothers, will naturally put up a defence against that kind of description. These women, being mothers, are naturally wired to protect kids. Rapists such as Jerry Sandusky are viewed with hatred, revulsion, and disgust. Rightfully so. What mother would want to condone anything having to do with the sexual abuse of children?

Classic Abuse ScenarioBut that is exactly what 50 Shades of Grey is really about. It is a story of a girl being sexually molested, over and over again, by a male figure with all the power, all the control. It is the classic abuse scenario. And mothers are, in some cases, getting turned on by it, which takes the disgust of this phenomena to a whole other frightening level.

The paedophile Jerry Sandusky sexually abused many young boys. Sandusky committed his acts of crime under the cover of actually helping youth. That is how he gained access. 50 Shades is basically the exact same thing. Its cover is a story of a young woman engaging in a very graphic sexual relationship with a somewhat older man. Based on the use of language in the narration, this girl is likely no more than 12 or 13 years of age even though the girl in the story was actually getting ready to graduate college.

Cover for Child AbuseSexual predators are cons. They almost always have a cover. It's that cover which allows them access. 50 Shades of Grey is a con. It now has access to millions of readers. It is a story about abuse from beginning to end. And it's not just the abuse of a man and a woman - it's the abuse of a man and a girl. The female character has no sexual experience. None. She is given the age of 21, but that age is itself a cover. Her true emotional age is much-much younger. That alone is one of the greatest attractions to the paedophile. That is the psychology of that kind of act. The paedophile is sexually aroused by exploiting the innocent and the pure.

Exploiting the Innocent and VulnerableBut move from the fact the girl has no sexual experience whatsoever. Now pay attention to her narrative dialogue. Again, she's not talking like a young woman, she's talking like a girl. She talks about cartwheels, and skipping, over and over again it is the language and the imagery of a girl.

After that this girl has her innocence taken from her. The abuser, the older man, makes her think it’s her choice. That is one of the primary tools of the paedophile. They create an environment where the child feels it's their idea. It's what they want. But what happens after that innocence is taken away? Then the abuser becomes more openly abusive. Controlling. In this story he tells the little girl how to speak. What to wear. What to eat.

More Themes of Child AbuseThere are many more themes about that abuse in this book. There is spanking and the use of Baby oil. Why baby oil? Think about it. The girl wears pigtails. She complains that he is treating her like a child. He says she acts like a child.

The first thing that struck me was how poor the writing was. It wasn't just bad. It was horrible. But in my reading of it, the theme of child abuse, of paedophilia, was right there in plain sight. I remember being told a long time ago that sometimes the best way to hide something is in plain sight. That is what 50 Shades of Grey is really doing.

No Accident by the AuthorThe main character had no sexual experience. None. She was an innocent. She was a kid who had just had her first drink of alcohol. No way that was an accident by the author. That author had to have purposely made her, despite her given age of 21, by any other measure, a little girl. In psychology, we call that a warning signal. A sign we may have a problem.

Just Like the Paedophile Jerry SanduskyThe male character is just like the paedophile Jerry Sandusky. He makes a show of his money, his power, the things he can buy for her, but while this is going on, we are reading the thoughts of a child. We are reading the seduction of a little girl by a paedophile. She is almost completely powerless. She is naïve even for a teenager, and certainly much more naïve than a college student. She is incapable of even making the most simple of every day decisions and must be told what to do by her abuser, who in turn though spends a lot of time and effort convincing this child this is really what she wants. I've seen this before. Too often. Too many times. And it always leaves me sickened.

We are reading child pornography. Remove the false age of the girl, which has no basis in reality, and what we are actually reading is the abuse of a little girl.

Perpetuating the Cycle of AbuseBeyond all of this evidence there is the fact that the male character is himself a product of sexual abuse at the hands of a paedophile. The girl whose thoughts we listen in on as she is being abused, recognizes this aspect of the male abuser, but apparently, is too naïve or unwilling to realize she has continued this cycle of abuse herself. (Which again reinforces the idea that she is actually herself just a child) There is no way the author did this by accident. She puts out the theme of paedophilia openly, therefore hiding it in plain sight.

With 50 Shades of Grey this abnormal condition is trying to be normalized. A story of the sexual abuse of a child, wrapped in the cliché cover story of a mysterious and troubled wealthy man. Take away the aspect of money, and the character of the abuser becomes much less attractive and therefore it would have been much more difficult to pull off the deception. Are women actually that shallow? Yes, we can be.

But women, the vast majority of us, are not people who knowingly condone the sexual abuse of children. We do not condone, in any way, the horror that is paedophilia.

Hiding in Plain SightSadly though, that is exactly what is happening with the popularity of 50 Shades of Grey. It's a paedophilia con. It is one of the most horrible and sickening acts against the most powerless of our society, hiding in plain sight.

50 Shades of Grey made me weep. It made me sick. It made her think of the abuses of all of those kids by a demented, warped monster like Jerry Sandusky, who, just like the paedophilia of 50 Shades of Grey, was hiding in plain sight.

Note from Christian Action: We have shortened and edited this article by psychologist Dr Judith Reisman – author of Soft Porn Plays Hard Ball and numerous other books and articles on the link between pornography, child porn and sexual exploitation. This article is a commentary on the book and was written before the film was produced.

Encourage them to rather donate R50 to a Christian shelter for abused women, than to waste R50 on a movie ticket. See contact details above.

Post a polite, factual but firm comment on the Ster Kinekor Theatres and Nu Metro Facebook pages to protest this 50 Shades of Abuse! Use points made above.

Copy your complaint in an email to Ster Kinekor:
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Ask Exclusive Books to remove the 50 Shades of Grey book from their shelves: The General Manager:
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, 011 – 798 0166.

Complain about the low age restriction given to this film (16LNS). At the least, 50 Shades should receive an X18 rating – i.e. only allowed to be sold from a porn shop. Contact the Film and Publications Board:
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.

Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, expressing your concern. Click here to get the email addresses of most newspapers in South Africa.

Recommended ResourceThis is a winnable war. Is there hope for the porn addict? What is the Biblical antidote to the porndemic? And what can you do to protect yourself and your family? How can we take back the culture from the pimps and pornographers?Africa Christian Action’sbookPorndemicwill equip you, with the help of God, to begin to transform your community.